What started as a volunteer gig fixing one infield spiraled into Andy Ommen finding a passion for sports turf that would lead him to become a respected name in the industry. Today, Andy is a member of the Professional Outdoor Solutions team in Illinois with the mission of improving athletic playing surfaces, "from the ground up." We caught up with Andy after his 2022 SFMA education session to recap the highlights from his talk.

Listen to this week's Groundskeeper Chat to hear:

  • Andy's Turf Origin Story
  • Square One, where to get started as a sports turf manager
  • Setting Priorities, creating budgets and grounds plan
  • Techniques, practices that help demonstrate the difference you're making
  • Lastly, what's next for Andy and his team

A little bit more about our guest:

Andy Ommen began his tenure as the the head groundskeeper at the McLean County PONY baseball complex in 2002. Andy led the organization to be nationally recognized for multiple field of the year honors, including 2017 National STMA Field of the Year. Today, Andy joins the Professional outdoor Solutions team to continue his sports turf journey.


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